Why did you want to work in education? What inspired you?

Like many college students, I did not know what I wanted to do in the future when I started. I spent my freshman year taking required courses and at the end of the year, my academic advisor suggested that in my sophomore year I focus on taking classes I enjoyed. I had never truly thought about what I enjoyed or was passionate about until then. I started taking many English classes and my advisor steered me towards education classes because I loved working with people.

I was very unsure at the time. I didn’t love high school and the thought of being in school for the rest of my life was definitely not appealing. For my undergraduate degree, a requirement of every education course was an internship in a local school. It was a true learn-by-doing model.

My first class I had an internship at Washington High School, where I taught Junior Achievement, with a partner, first period on Fridays to seniors. If that isn’t a trial by fire I am not sure what is. To my surprise, I absolutely loved the experience. It was challenging, I definitely had moments where I questioned what I was doing, but I finally felt like I fit somewhere. I loved working with students and teachers and found myself thinking of new ways of presenting the curriculum each week. From that point on, I knew I had found my path and never looked back.

Why did you pick Point Park University for your principal certification program?

I chose Point Park University after doing research into many programs. What appealed to me the most was the ability to be 100% online. As a busy working educator, mother of a five-year-old, and wife, I knew I did not have the ability to commit to going to in-person classes and that I needed flexibility of when I worked on assignments. I loved being able to work on my school work wherever and whenever I could in my schedule, which for me meant early mornings on the weekends, after bedtime with my daughter, and in between family activities during the week.

What skills did you gain or sharpen through your program at Point Park University and how do you use them today?

The program helped make me a much more strategic and well-thought-out decision maker. The program offered many opportunities to think through, plan, and make decisions from the role of a principal. In making those decisions I had to make sure I had all of the information necessary, which made me think of the questions I would have to ask others and also ask myself to aid in making a decision. The message boards that were a vital part of the courses allowed for me to engage with a diverse group of educators to talk through scenarios and information. The process for making decisions I was able to develop will be one I use throughout my career.

How has your certification impacted you in terms of your current position or a position you would like to attain in the future?

Gaining my certification definitely helped me in my current position as the Remedial Supervisor at the Pittsburgh Mt. Oliver Intermediate Unit 2. I think in education we get very laser-focused on what we are responsible for and get very good at what our specific job asks of us. In the principal program, I had to think about the bigger picture of budgets, staffing, parents, students, the community, and all of the other factors that impact these stakeholder groups.

Seeing the bigger picture of our organization at the Intermediate Unit, I am able to better address all aspects of my role in which I work with school administrators, teachers, other Intermediate Unit staff, and parents to make sure we, as an organization, are providing paramount support to the schools we service.

What was a challenge you faced during your school principal certification program, and who or what helped you overcome it?

A very personal challenge that I went through during the program was the illness of my father, who we lost in March of 2018 to cancer. I was in the final part of my practicum at the time and he was in and out of the hospital. The practicum experience is unique because your advisor is the professor for the experience. I let her know what was happening and that I was concerned that I was not going to be able to complete the work for the class. I was so overwhelmed and was frequently at the hospital or helping my mom.

She asked if she could call me. It is something I will never forget, because it was a Sunday afternoon and I was in a visitors lounge at the hospital. She was extremely supportive of my situation, helped me come up with a clear plan for finishing everything, and also said to take care of my family first. The option of taking an incomplete was discussed, but she assured me she would do everything to help me complete the program on time. She checked in with me frequently during those weeks to see how I was doing personally and as a student. Her support, kindness, and reassurance truly helped me complete the program.

What was the biggest takeaway from your school principal program?

The biggest takeaway was that being a principal is difficult; you are never going to please everyone, but if you use the skills that you have developed, your experience in education, and think about all stakeholders, you will be successful.

It was reassuring when professors in the program talked openly about their own experiences and how mistakes helped them grow through the learning they experienced in those situations. I have always believed that embracing the never-ending learning process as an educator is the greatest way to be successful and felt this was confirmed through the program.

What would you tell (or what advice would you give) prospective students considering the school principal program at Point Park University?

I would tell prospective students that the program is challenging, but you are able to apply everything you learn in any role in education. This program will make you think more deeply about your craft, and you will be thankful for the program in the end because it will make you better.

If you are worried about the time commitment, you can do it! You are an educator! Educators know how to create a schedule better than anyone. I also would encourage them to reach out to the professors and other students in the cohort often and beyond the message boards. One thing I was worried with an online program was the lack of collegial interaction. I found that by reaching out and asking for input and support when I needed it, I was able think about things in different ways because of the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and roles of fellow students.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I would like to thank the professors I had in the School Principal Certification program. The professors I had were amazing, highly qualified, and very willing to support students who are working and trying to balance everything in our crazy hectic lives.

The post Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Solak, School Principal Certificate Program appeared first on Point Park University.

When looking at colleges and universities, I compared a variety of factors, including out of state versus in state tuition, number of courses required, individual cost per credit, as well as the variety of fees that are often associated with attending any type of educational program. I found that Point Park University did not seem to inflate their program by requiring a higher number of classes, and their rates were in line, if not lower than, other colleges and universities. I was also impressed with the vast number of options that Point Park University provides to students to pay for their programs. Students have the ability to apply for financial aid, choose a payment plan, or depending on your school district, there is even an employer reimbursement plan.

Initially, I was planning on using the employer reimbursement. I was hoping to simply pay a small fee at the beginning and then have my school district pay the remainder upon the successful completion of my course. That meant that I would incur little to no debt of my own. Unfortunately this was not an option for me as it did not follow the past practices for my school district. Lesson learned – check with the district’s business office to see how they handle paying for college classes.

At that point, I needed to move on to Plan B. I opened up a credit card account that would only be used for my master’s program. That meant that at the beginning of each semester I paid the full bill on my credit card. At the end of each semester, I provided my district with proof of payment of the bills as well as my grade at the end of the course. The district then wrote a check to me with the amount allocated by my contract. That money was then used to pay off my Point Park credit card bill.

Walking into the master’s program, it was also important to understand my contract. I needed to be fully aware of the reimbursement policy, particularly regarding the number of credits permitted and the rate which they would be reimbursed. In addition, I needed to understand if there were any stipulations that would be required after I had completed the classes. For me, that meant I would receive 100% credit reimbursement from a college as long as the tuition did not exceed the rates of several preset Pennsylvania Universities listed in my contract. In addition, I needed to receive a “B” or higher in the course. In my case, there was a stipulation that if I were to leave within five years, I would pay back predetermined amounts of my tuition. As each year passed, I would owe less until after the fifth year.

I feel fortunate that both Point Park University and my employer made it financially possible for me to complete my master’s program. Instead of worrying about how I would pay for my classes, they made it easy to focus on my classes and successfully complete my program.

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Ultimately, I worried that I would not be able to balance school life as a student and school life as an administrator. Luckily, Point Park University’s programs provided the convenience that allowed me to successfully complete not one, but two programs.

The ability to complete both of my programs virtually was a game changer. While I had the option to physically come to campus and even attend several classes in person, I chose to complete all of my work online. While other colleagues were traveling back and forth to campuses, I never lost time with a commute. In addition, I never had to worry about missing a class due to weather or wait for a professor to arrive. When I was ready to work, I simply logged on and I was instantly connected to my course.

Not having a set day or time for my class also gave me the flexibility that was necessary for me to be successful. While all of my classes had weekly deadlines, I could choose when during the week I would complete my assignments. That meant that some weeks, projects were completed in the evenings, and other times they were done on weekends.

Ultimately, I had the ability to work when it was convenient and take breaks as I needed them. Conversely, I watched several of my friends at other universities use up their personal or vacation days to attend graduate classes. Some even gave up weekends with their families to attend classes. The flexibility in Point Park’s programs allowed me to balance not only my school activities, but my family life as well.

Perhaps one of the reasons that Point Park’s programs are so convenient is that they make their assignments and projects applicable to your current teaching or administrative position. The effort that I was putting into my projects was benefitting not only me as a student, but also my entire district. I could look at areas in my building that needed improvement and focus my assignments on those concerns. The reverse was also true — many of the everyday actions that I was already completing, such as providing professional development, meeting with teachers, and attending trainings gave me credit during my coursework. This was particularly the case when I was completing my practicums.

There is no denying that being a full-time educator as well as a student can be difficult. Both positions require dedication and effort. However, Point Park’s programs provided the convenience necessary for me to be successful.

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Point Park’s online programs provided the flexibility that is necessary for my life. My days are spent being a special education director, and my evenings are often devoted to attending various school meetings and activities, as well as running my daughters to practices or attending their events. With Point Park’s programs, I was not locked into a specific day or time that I needed to be in classes. While each of the courses had deadlines, I was able to watch videos and work on assignments during the times that worked best for me and my family.  I did not have to miss a game or meeting because I had to attend a physical class. I could even adjust my workload to match the constraints of my schedule. If I knew that my home schedule was going to be hectic, I could work ahead in my classes to ensure that my deadlines were being met. In addition, there was flexibility in where I completed my work. Some assignments were completed in my home office in the evening, while other assignments may have been completed while I was on the road for a conference or even on my back back porch on a sunny afternoon. Ultimately, I was in charge of how my learning was taking place.

Other exceptional qualities of Point Park’s programs are their faculty and staff. Initially, I was worried that I would not be able to make connections with my professors because of the lack of face-to-face contact. I could not have been more wrong. All of my professors were very responsive to any of my questions. They responded quickly to email or posts on the discussion boards. In addition, many of them offered consultation or further discussion through phone conversations. They always made time to ensure that my questions were thoroughly answered. They made me feel that I was a valued student and that my concerns were important. Beyond the classroom, my advisers were excellent. When questions arose regarding the scheduling classes, they provided prompt and helpful responses. They worked with me to find the solutions to any of my issues. Everyone that I dealt with a Point Park, from registration to graduation application, were helpful and a pleasure to work with.

My Point Park master’s program gave me the challenge and the new knowledge that I was seeking. I knew that starting any program would mean hard work and ultimately some difficulty. However, the program’s flexibility, as well as the high quality faculty and staff, made this a wonderful learning journey.

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